Tag Archives: Domestic Abuse & Violence

This page lists books that contain trigger warnings for the depiction of abusive relationships, and domestic and intimate partner abuse & violence. This includes all kinds of emotional, verbal, psychological, and physical abuse perpetrated by a spouse or intimate partner.

See also Child abuse & neglect, Rape, and Sexual assault.

The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

The Night in Question by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson

Alice Ogilvie and Iris Adams became the talk of Castle Cove when they cracked the biggest case of the fall: the death of Brooke Donovan. Together, the Agathas put Brooke’s killer away for good, and since then things around town have been almost back to normal. Quiet, even. But if Alice and Iris know anything, it’s that sometimes quiet is just the calm before the storm. The truth is, Brooke’s disappearance wasn’t the first mystery to rock Castle Cove, and it won’t be the last. So when their school dance at the infamous Levy Castle—the site of film starlet Mona Moody’s…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Grap

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Sexual assault discussed
  • Domestic violence
  • Drugging recounted
  • Blood & gore including a depiction of a dead body
  • Physical assault
  • Gun violence (flare gun)

American Queen by Sierra Simone

American Queen by Sierra Simone

It starts with a stolen kiss under an English sky, and it ends with a walk down the aisle. It starts with the President sending his best friend to woo me on his behalf, and it ends with my heart split in two. It starts with buried secrets and dangerous desires…and ends with the three of us bound together with a hateful love sharper than any barbed wire. My name is Greer Galloway, and I serve at the pleasure of the President of the United States. This is the story of an American Queen.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Intimate partner abuse mentioned
  • Cheating mentioned
  • Adult-minor relationship*
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Death of a mother in childbirth recounted
  • Death of a parent in a train accident recounted
  • Death of a wife from cancer recounted
  • Kidnapping

* Context : The heroine is sixteen years old and the hero is twenty-six years old when they first meet, unbeknownst to the hero. They kiss and the hero fantasises about the herione but nothing ‘more’ happens until years later.

Hidden Waters by Catherine Cowles

Hidden Waters by Catherine Cowles

My family tried to break me. But, somehow, I made it out alive, even though the wounds from that survival are forever carved into my bones. Now, my only wish is for…normal. To know what it’s like to have friends, a job, a home. The last thing I want is for my new roommate to see the scars I’m so desperate to keep hidden, especially not the ruggedly handsome man who steals my breath and sends my heart into overdrive. But something tells me that Beckett has demons, too. I see it in the shadows haunting his gorgeous eyes and the way he looks at me with gentle under… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Domestic abuse
  • Child abuse
  • Sexual assault & groping
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Kidnapping

Beautifully Broken Life by Catherine Cowles

Beautifully Broken Life by Catherine Cowles

She’s on the run… Tessa has finally found a safe haven in Sutter Lake, hiding in plain sight—just as long as no one asks too many questions. He can’t escape…Liam knows better than anyone how one wrong word, a single whisper can ruin a life. After seeing the darker side of fame, he’s desperate to retreat and find his voice again. Two people from opposite worlds, brought together by a connection neither expected. But the forces they’re both running from still lurk in the shadows… And you never know when they might strike.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Domestic abuse
  • Stalking

Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan

Man Tiger by Eka Kurniawan

A wry, affecting tale set in a small town on the Indonesian coast, Man Tiger tells the story of two interlinked and tormented families and of Margio, a young man ordinary in all particulars except that he conceals within himself a supernatural female white tiger. The inequities and betrayals of family life coalesce around and torment this magical being. An explosive act of violence follows, and its mysterious cause is unraveled as events progress toward a heartbreaking revelation.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Marital rape
  • Parental abuse
  • Domestic violence
  • Blood & gore depiction
  • Death of a child
  • Murder

Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann

Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann

When Amber runs, it’s the only time she feels completely free – far away from her claustrophobic home life. Her father wants her to be a dutiful daughter, waiting for an arranged marriage like her sister Ruby. Running is a quiet rebellion. But Amber wants so much more – and she’s ready to fight for it. It’s time for a revolution.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Child abuse
  • Domestic abuse
  • Alcoholism
  • Anxiety & panic attacks
  • Emesis
  • Dieting mentioned
  • Bullying

Challenge of the Court by Heather Harris

Challenge of the Court by Heather G. Harris

I’m supposed to be meeting with Emory’s dragon Court and amazing them with my suave wit and shining intellect. Instead, I’m on the trail of a kidnapper. Someone has stolen away a centaur teenager, Alfie, from a magical circus. The circus master has hired me and Gato to find out who took him – hopefully, before Alfie swims with the fishes. The problem is, no one in the circus is who they say they are. The Other Circus is a front for a magical underground, helping those that want to leave their magical lives far behind. They’ve spent years keeping their heads down and… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Domestic violence
  • Disappearance of a child

The Attack by Catherine Jinks

The Attack by Catherine Jinks

Robyn Ayres works as the camp caretaker on Finch Island, a former leper colony off the coast of Queensland. Her current clients are a group of ex-military men who run a tough-love program for troubled teens. The latest crop looks like the usual mix of bad boys and sad boys. Then Robyn takes a second look at a kid called Darren. Last time she saw him his name was Aaron, and Robyn was his primary school teacher. And she was somehow at the centre of a vicious small-town custody battle involving his terrifying grandmother. Bruising classroom dynamics, manipulative parents and carers and horrendous small-town politics… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Lesbomisia mentioned
  • Child abuse
  • Domestic violence
  • Suicide mentioned
  • Alcohol consumption mentioned
  • Drug abuse mentioned
  • Death of a parent mentioned
  • Murder
  • Gun violence
  • Police corruption

Deep Dark Secrets by Keri Beevis

Deep Dark Secrets by Keri Beevis

Lizzie Kent wasn’t supposed to babysit the night she was murdered. She was covering for her best friend, Nell. Nell has lived with the guilt ever since. Eighteen years later Nell returns to the area, desperate to escape a bad relationship after inheriting her aunt’s rundown guesthouse. But her return isn’t welcomed by everyone – in particular Sam Kent, who blames Nell for his sister’s death. And after a few unsettling incidents, it becomes apparent that someone is trying to scare her. Is Sam responsible or has Nell’s abusive ex-boyfriend managed to track her down? Or is someone else, with a more sinister agenda, responsible?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Abusive relationship recounted
  • Murder of a friend in a home invasion recounted

In Her Highlander’s Bed by Lynsay Sands

In Her Highlander’s Bed by Lynsay Sands

An invigorating swim in the loch was exactly what Calan Campbell, Laird of Kilcairn, needed after defeating his enemies in battle. What he didn’t need was a thief running away with his plaid while he swam. Calan gave chase and managed to catch the lad, only the lad turned out to be a lass, and obviously a lady. Having hit her head when he’d tackled her to the ground, the woman was now unconscious and couldn’t explain how she had ended up bruised and naked in his woods. He’d have to take her back to his castle and tend her wounds to learn that. Kidnapped and forced to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Attempted sexual assault
  • Domestic abuse
  • Forced marriage
  • Kidnapping